Is Ageism Getting Worse?

A recent Princeton study on the
causes of ageism reveals that we’ve still got a long way to go in the fight
against age-related negative stereotypes.

Ageism against seniors can’t be
defined simply as prejudice against older adults. Researchers are finding that
ageism is a complex phenomenon consisting of a range of negative attitudes
toward seniors. We may not like to think about it, but the effect of ageism is
detectable throughout our society: in the family and home environment, in the
media, in the working world, and even in the realm of government policy. And if
we don’t address the issue openly, it’s bound to get a whole lot more
complicated when the considerable population of baby boomers - the same ones who
used to say “don’t trust anyone over thirty”- begins to reach their own golden
years.

What Is Ageism?

The general definition of ageism is
any sort of age-based prejudice. According to the Assisted
Living Foundation of America, ageism against seniors occurs when “societal
norms marginalize seniors, treat them with disrespect, make them feel unwelcome
and otherwise generalize as if they were all the same.”

Negative stereotypes
about older adults may be all too familiar: they are “slow,” they have poor memories, they’re afraid of the modern
world. Researchers refer to these as “descriptive stereotypes,” or
generalizations about the way seniors supposedly are - in contrast to
“prescriptive stereotypes,” which generalize about how seniors should
be, and often lead to discriminatory behaviors and practices.

In a recent study
by psychologists at Princeton University, these prescriptive stereotypes were
examined more closely and “unpacked” to see what more we can learn about how
American society views the elderly. According to an article
from Princeton’s Office of Communications, the scientists found that
prescriptive stereotypes focus on three central issues:

Succession:
“the idea that older people should move aside from high-paying jobs and
prominent social roles to make way for younger people.”

Identity:
“the idea that older people shouldn’t attempt to act younger than they
are.”

Consumption:
“the idea that older people shouldn’t consume so many scarce resources
such as health care.”

Why the Study of Ageism is Important

Studying ageism is about to become
even more critical as we face the “graying” of our population; older adults are
more numerous and visible than ever before, says the Princeton article. Ageism
has far-reaching effects on the mental and emotional health of seniors and
their dignity, and it can lead to discriminatory practices in housing and
social policy, resulting in a negative impact on seniors’ quality of life. In
extreme cases, notes ALFA,
such attitudes about seniors can even result in elder abuse.

The Princeton researchers are well
aware of the growing importance of the issue of ageism: “It’s not hard to read
The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal and see that as the baby boomers
are getting older, age-discrimination cases are on the
rise and worries are growing about the long-term sustainability of Social
Security and Medicare,” graduate student Michael North
said. “The academic literature hasn’t really spoken to these questions.”

Debunking Stereotypes about Older Adults

Getting past our ingrained
stereotypes about seniors, the researchers say, will help our society as a
whole move past outdated ideas and social policies.

“Talking about these issues helps
you find constructive ways to address them,” said North. One potentially
productive avenue of research, for instance, relies on a crucial distinction
between the “young-old” - those seniors who are still relatively healthy and
who may still be working - and the “old-old,” who may be less healthy and more
impaired. Learning more about the differences between these two subtypes
can help us better serve the needs of a diverse and growing senior population.